No More Hill Cards: Students Adjusting to the Verkada Pass App

By Mylee Santos

Photo Credits: Mylee Santos

Students are getting used to the switch from hill cards and the mobile app, Verkada Pass, as a new means for getting into buildings on campus.

Senior, Elijah Byrd said, “I think the Verkada App was a good attempt at making something so simple, very complicated. I believe that it makes no sense, why should it be digital only? Half the time it doesn’t work, my Bluetooth was on and it wasn’t letting me in.”

“I think it’s better than using the hill card, but it still has its issues,” said, senior, Matthew Bower.

Issues with the app are being identified by students after using it during the first week of school.

Junior, Marissa Caterino said, “the app is really finicky because it’s different for each person that I know.”

Caterino said she found the app to work differently amongst herself and her suitemates. 

“For me it will work if I have my Bluetooth headphones on but for some of my suitemates it won’t work,” she said.

Caterino also said that there’s an issue if your phone dies and there’s no way to get into the buildings. 

“It’s a huge battery drainer. Every single person I know, their phones are really close to dying, and if your phone dies you cant call an RA, you can’t call the campus police, and you cannot get into the building or the school,” said Caterino.

Senior, Allie Callahan experienced this during that same week.

“The other night my phone died, and I couldn’t get into my building because I couldn’t use the app,” said Callahan.

Opinions on the Verkada app varied as some felt very neutral towards the change.

“I’m a forgetful person, so I lose my phone and my Hill card, so I’m kind of just in the middle of it,” said, senior, Sinead Hogan.

Madison Quenneville said, “When I first heard about the app, I was looking at the reviews on the App Store and there’s generally a low opinion off it.”

Students have also been wondering about the long-term uses of the app.

Senior, Madison Quenneville said, “When I first heard about the app, I was looking at the reviews on the App Store and there’s generally a low opinion off it.”  

“People have said that it works for the first couple of months and eventually it starts breaking down, and their old key system worked much better, so they don’t understand why their system switched,” said Quenneville.